For what soon will be a full year, the Illinois National Guard has made no small contribution to the war in Afghanistan. The deployment in the summer of 2008 interrupted the lives of some 2,700 citizen soldiers, their families and their towns in the largest call-up of Illinois Guard troops since World War II.

The mission – costly in both lives and resources -- now nears an end. In its final weeks, Tribune reporter James Janega and Tribune photographer Jason Wambsgans have joined the Illinois troops to document their thoughts, their sacrifices and their accomplishments.

08/19/2009

Not everyone comes home

Soldiers from the Illinois National Guard's Delta Company, based in Woodstock, return after yearlong deployment that took its toll

Sgt. 1st Class Matt Burleson, 33, a paramedic from Waukegan, was in charge of the convoy. That deadly day changed everything, he said. "It was friendly," Burleson said. "Until then." (Tribune photo by E. Jason Wambsgans / July 8, 2009)

JALALABAD, Afghanistan -- The four-Humvee convoy bounced down the mountain road, one Afghan village blending into another on a routine mission for Delta Company of the Illinois National Guard. The troops were scouting for the best location to build a school.

Then the bomb went off.

In that instant, the day became the deadliest in the Illinois Guard's yearlong deployment in Afghanistan -- one that will be painfully remembered Thursday as Delta Company returns to a heroes' welcome from family and friends in northwest suburban Woodstock.

Since last fall, more than 2,900 "citizen soldiers" from Illinois -- nurses, police officers and chemical engineers -- have performed the ground-level work to help Afghanistan's beleaguered government fend off an extremist Islamic insurgency.

Illinois guardsmen have trained police officers. They have protected road-building crews. They have stood guard for hours in the sun as civil affairs officers tried to connect Afghanistan's government with an alienated and frustrated populace.

Even as Delta Company celebrates those accomplishments, it returns without four of its 60 soldiers, three of whom were killed in that single, sudden blast on a March afternoon in the mountains.

In all, 17 Illinois Guard troops have died during the deployment, and the losses weigh heavily as the troops head home and their families and friends prepare to welcome them with hugs and homemade signs.

For Delta, the bombing was the only attack they faced during their entire time in Afghanistan. The story of that day -- as described by the soldiers, their commanders and their families -- is a window into the grinding duties and constant risks they faced.

For Sgt. 1st Class Matt Burleson, 33, a big paramedic from Waukegan in charge of the convoy, the horrible events of the day changed everything.

How tough is the army national guard's BCT?
I've heard there are many locations where BCT is going on and the toughness depends on which location someone get to. Let's say my MOS is a supply, which location am I supposed to go to and how hard is BCT going to be? And is there any diffrence in training between the regular army and the national guard?

I can verify here that Illinois guardsmen have trained police officers. They have protected road-building crews. They have stood guard for hours in the sun as civil affairs officers tried to connect Afghanistan's government with an alienated and frustrated populace.http://pencilsharpenerelectric.com/

The type of exercise you do all depends on you and what you like to do. What you hate doing, paying membership fees, and whether or not to buy equipment are all things you need to consider as well as answer.

I normally prefer reading news paper every day, but one fine day while checking my e-mails, one of my friends ping me your article. I wasn’t very keen in reading thinking that it would be a trash, but later after reading it I realized that I was wrong and your article was just out of the world. I should thank my friends now!!!

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James Janega is a staff reporter in the Chicagoland section of the Chicago Tribune. He has reported from the Gulf Coast, the Midwest and the Middle East. He lives with his family in Chicago. Follow him on twitter: @JamesJanega

Jason Wambsgans is a Chicago Tribune staff photographer. He has photographed a wide range of stories in Chicago, around the United States and across Africa in his seven years with the Tribune.